The nature of chiropractic manipulation:

This primary treatment used by doctors of chiropractic is spinal manipulation or adjustments. Dr. Rosquist will use this procedure in your treatment program. We will use our hands to manipulate or loosen and reposition the joints of your spine and or extremities. Often with this procedure, you will hear a popping noise associated with the loosening and repositioning of spinal or extremity joints. This is a normal occurrence.

The material risks inherent to chiropractic manipulation:

As with any health care procedure, there are certain complications or risks that may arise from chiropractic manipulation. These complications may include aggravation of degenerative joints, or injured spinal disks, rib fractures, ligament sprains, muscle strains, nerve injury, spinal cord compression and ruptured breast implants. Ruptured breast implants are rare but have been reported with manipulation of the thoracic spine (mid back). Manipulation of the neck has been associated with injury to the arteries in the neck leading to or contributing to stroke. Local soreness and or stiffness are typical in the early phases of treatment. There is an increased risk of bone fracture to those individuals taking corticosterioids over an extended period of time. Please inform the doctor if you are taking this type of medication. Fractures are rare occurrences and generally a result from underlying bone weakness, which we check for when obtaining a history, and during examination and if necessary via x-rays or other imaging modalities.

Probability of those risks occurring: The exact incidence of stroke is uncertain. Studies indicate stroke complications occurring as a result of cervical spinal manipulation to be anywhere from 1 in 400,000 to 1 in 3.8 million depending on the study. We employ physical tests that are advocated to screen for this risk, but they are generally accepted as being insensitive. All other complications are also generally described as rare.